The Light Fantastic
by ilssa
Summary: Getting the Doctor to dance was harder than Rose had imagined.


**The Light Fantastic**

**- 0 -**

'Don't go worrying yourself about my moves,' the Doctor said irritably. 'Cos everything's fine in that department. Absolutely no worries there, I can promise you that!'

Rose had been in pleasanter surroundings than the huge store cupboard of the old Victorian hospital she and the Doctor now found themselves in. There was a funny, musty smell in the air, and although she was pretty sure the pile of bedpans stacked on the dresser to her right would be clean, she still couldn't quite bring herself to look.

If the room left a lot to be desired, the company wasn't much better. The Doctor was still apparently in a strop over the few, harmless, comments she'd made about Jack and his "moves" up on his space ship. Perhaps she shouldn't have compared them with the Doctor's, but there was nothing wrong with sharing how her day had gone, was there?

Even without the sniping tone, she'd still have known he was sulking by his refusal to look her fully in the eye for the last half hour. Not that he could have safely paid her much attention right then, perched as he was on a chair, examining the panelling next to the barred windows set in the wall high above their heads.

She had no idea what his plans were, and she had the definite feeling he was taking perverse pleasure in not sharing them with her. He'd ordered Jack off to look for another way out, and then spent the time since his departure alternating between grilling her and mocking her on the subject of Captain Jack Harkness. Rose had found the situation vaguely amusing at first, but now she was starting to feel a bit peevish herself. It was time for the Doctor to get a taste of his own medicine.

'You've got the moves, show me your moves,' Rose said with a "come on then" shake of the head. 'The world doesn't end because the Doctor dances.'

The Doctor spun round on his chair to pin her with a glare. 'Hah, try telling that to the extinct race of Clabistrale Eleven!' He paused, his regretful expression giving way to look of fond reminiscence. 'Really great conga line though.'

Rose clicked her fingers impatiently under his nose, and he frowned his disapproval. He stood down and dragged the chair over to what looked to be some sort of fuse box on the opposite side of the wall.

'There's no music, Rose.'

'So what? Jack managed to find some on top of an invisible space ship.' No response. 'Floating next to Big Ben in the middle of a German air raid,' she added helpfully.

The Doctor grunted and bent back to the door panel he'd just prised open.

'Of course, that was after he'd carried me off to his bed to recover – probably just pulling out all the stops because he thought I needed cheering up.'

His shoulders stiffened, but he didn't raise his head from where it was currently buried nose-deep in the fuse filled aperture. 'Bed?'

'Yeah, the tractor beam he'd beamed me down on sent me a bit woozy.'

'Amateur,' he growled. With a sharp gesture he yanked a bundle of wires and bulbs from their resting place within the battered box. The resulting loud bang and flashing of sparks had his head jerking back and then around to face her.

'Hold on, what do you mean, beam you down? Wasn't he beaming you up? Oh, wait, let me guess – Captain Cocky was showing off.' He bent to snatch at what looked like a bit of old bandage, and wrapped it tightly around his right hand like an oven mit before warily attempting to reopen the singed and smoking door again. 'All uniform and no trousers that one.'

'Oh, he's got trousers,' Rose murmured. Her dirty laugh was met by an equally dirty stare.

'Idiot probably had you spinning round up there like Tinkerbell,' the Doctor said with a scowl, refusing to otherwise acknowledge her comment. 'No wonder it knocked your legs from under you!'

'He saved my life actually,' Rose corrected him briskly, the sudden kick of remembered panic briefly jolting the humour right out of her. 'That barrage balloon I told you about? I was playing tourist stuck hanging from one of its guide ropes. If it wasn't for him I'd be doin' a Wile E. Coyote impression right now in the middle of a pavement somewhere.'

He froze. The hand that had been gripping the sonic screwdriver tightened visibly and Rose watched entranced as it let out a protesting whine.

The Doctor stuffed the bandage and the screwdriver into his back pocket and hopped easily down from the chair. Two steps had him standing directly in front of her. He bent his head to peer at her through intent eyes. 'You alright?'

'I am now.' Rose held her hands out, palms facing towards him. 'Jack even healed the rope burns; he's got these things – mini-robots or something. So cool. Why haven't we got those in the TARDIS?'

The Doctor's concern vanished at the mention of the other man's name. 'Spock enough for you then, is he?' He clambered back up on to the chair and resumed his tinkering.

Rose grinned. 'And then some. I mean, he's got the spaceman stuff going all right, but he's smooth with it too, y'know? Plus he's a wonderful dancer; perfect height an all.'

'Sounds great,' the Doctor said with a curl of his upper lip. 'Maybe I'll ask him for a spin round the dance floor next time I see him.'

Rose bit back a chuckle at his surly tone, and finally took pity on him. 'If you want 'im, he's yours - bit flash for me.'

The Doctor slammed the fuse box closed with a flourish and jumped back down to the floor to make his way towards her, a familiar beaming grin on his face.

Rose let out a squeak of surprise when he hauled her into a firm embrace and then another squeak when he bent her backwards over his arm.

'Doctor!' she said in a very impressed voice when she was upright once more. 'What're you doing?'

'Electrics are sorted,' he said, glancing behind him. 'Everything's quiet upstairs.' He jerked his head upwards. 'Which means we've got a good five minutes free for me to teach you, young lady, just what flash really is!'

'Yeah?' Rose couldn't prevent the silly smile that appeared on her face. 'So, what, you're like the Time Lord of the Dance now, are you?'

'Yeah,' The Doctor agreed cheerfully. 'That's me.' She bumped pleasurably against him as he pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and sent a flash of light shining through the open door. Instantly the drifting sound of music in the form of soft strings and a huskily beautiful voice, muffled slightly by distance, filled the room. 'I was doing flash before his great-grandfather was a gleam in _his_ great great-grandfather's eye!' he said with a wide grin. 'Brace yourself, Rose!'

Rose gave a breathless huff of laughter and held on tight. And there, in the middle of the Blitz, while the world was threatening to come to an end around them, Rose and the Doctor danced.


End file.
